The accused protested and sang Arabic songs in court after hearing they will have to stand trial before deportation will be considered.
The second court appearance of 95 Libyan nationals arrested two weeks ago near White River saw them staging a protest after the court ruled that they would not be deported any time soon and will remain in custody. They bemoaned prison conditions with their attorney accusing the media of dictating the narrative in the case.
The 95 accused are charged with contravening Section 13 of the Immigration Act of 2002 for alleged misrepresentation in their visa applications and will remain in custody at the Mbombela Correctional Services. Instead of returning to the correctional services trucks, they staged a protest inside and then outside the courtroom, demanding to be sent home as they believed they had done nothing wrong.
Kassen, who works alongside advocate Nico du Plessis, expressed his dissatisfaction with the way in which the media has determined the narrative of the case without ‘a single shred of evidence’ and using emotive words. He said the Protection of Constitutional Democracy against Terrorism and Related Activities Act, 2004, would only apply if a person or organisation can be proven to be assisting another person or organisation with ties to a recognised terrorist organisation.“For me, the key issues here are that they were in the country under false pretences and the fact that they were found in a camp with military hardware.
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